Liberal backbenchers and cabinet ministers alike condemned former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould on Monday for surreptitiously recording a phone conversation with the country害羞草研究所檚 top public servant, Michael Wernick.
For many of them, the recording was the last straw in the SNC-Lavalin saga that has engulfed the Trudeau government and proof that the former minister can害羞草研究所檛 be trusted as a member of the Liberal caucus.
害羞草研究所淛ody Wilson-Raybould? Should be gone. Gone. Should害羞草研究所檝e been gone long ago害羞草研究所�, said Prince Edward Island MP Wayne Easter, calling her secret recording 害羞草研究所渁bout as low as you can go.害羞草研究所�
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The same sentiment was applied by most Liberal MPs to Jane Philpott, who quit cabinet in solidarity with Wilson-Raybould early last month, saying she no longer had confidence in the government害羞草研究所檚 handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair.
害羞草研究所淭he moment you stop trusting the government, I mean obviously you shouldn害羞草研究所檛 be in the government or you shouldn害羞草研究所檛 be in the caucus that supports the government,害羞草研究所� said Montreal MP Alexandra Mendes.
Easter, a longtime MP who once served as solicitor general, suggested Philpott might have been 害羞草研究所渦sed害羞草研究所� by Wilson-Raybould and several others said they害羞草研究所檇 like to know whether she condoned the secret taping.
Wilson-Raybould submitted the 17-minute audio recording to the House of Commons justice committee last week to bolster her contention that she was improperly pressured last fall to intervene to stop the criminal prosecution of Montreal engineering giant SNC-Lavalin. The recording confirms her earlier oral testimony about the content of a Dec. 19 phone conversation with Wernick, clerk of the Privy Council 害羞草研究所� although whether anything he said amounted to 害羞草研究所漹eiled threats,害羞草研究所� as she has alleged, is a matter of opinion.
In a written submission to the committee, Wilson-Raybould said she took the admittedly 害羞草研究所渆xtraordinary and otherwise inappropriate step害羞草研究所� of recording the conversation because she was home alone in Vancouver without a staffer to take notes and wanted to 害羞草研究所渆nsure that I had an exact record of what was discussed as I had reason to believe that it was likely to be an inappropriate conversation.害羞草研究所�
Tourism Minister Melanie Joly said if Wilson-Raybould simply wanted a record of what was said, she should have told Wernick she was taping the call for that purpose.
As it was, several Liberal MPs suggested the recording smacked of 害羞草研究所渆ntrapment.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚n my listening to it, I felt she had to be reading from a script at times to try and draw out, to make the clerk and the prime minister and cabinet colleagues and us that sit in caucus with her look bad,害羞草研究所� said Easter. 害羞草研究所淥f course I害羞草研究所檓 angry.害羞草研究所�
Mendes called the secret recording 害羞草研究所渦nethical害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所渢reasonous, really.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淓ven if she had taped that conversation for the purpose of bringing it to the prime minister害羞草研究所檚 attention, the thing is she never did.害羞草研究所�
Montreal MP Marc Miller called the secret recording 害羞草研究所渄istressing害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所渟omewhat repugnant.害羞草研究所� He noted that courts are typically skeptical about such 害羞草研究所渙ne-sided害羞草研究所� recordings because 害羞草研究所渢here害羞草研究所檚 an ability of the person recording to prime the evidence, consciously or unconsciously.害羞草研究所�
Toronto MP Adam Vaughan said the revelation 害羞草研究所渋mpacts the frankness by which we have conversations with people.害羞草研究所�
A former journalist, Vaughan said: 害羞草研究所淚 know that when you use a microphone and you know it害羞草研究所檚 being recorded and the other person doesn害羞草研究所檛, it puts the other person at a significant disadvantage. It also puts the person recording it at inappropriate advantage. I think for those reasons there are rules for lawyers, there are rules for journalists, there are rules in place for how recorded conversations are used as evidence.害羞草研究所�
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Transport Minister Marc Garneau said it was 害羞草研究所渧ery inappropriate害羞草研究所� to record the conversation without telling Wernick. 害羞草研究所滻t is not an honourable thing to do.害羞草研究所�
Both Wilson-Raybould and Philpott have said they intend to remain in the Liberal caucus and run as Liberal candidates in this fall害羞草研究所檚 election.
害羞草研究所淲hy would I resign?害羞草研究所� Wilson-Raybould told Global News as she left Parliament Hill on Monday. 害羞草研究所滻害羞草研究所檓 just doing the best job I can.害羞草研究所�
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has thus far been unwilling to kick the former ministers out, maintaining that the Liberal party is a big tent that can accommodate diverse views. And until the secret recording was released Friday, Liberal ministers and backbenchers dutifully used Trudeau害羞草研究所檚 script.
They now appear determined to take the matter into their own hands at their weekly caucus meeting Wednesday. Some are pushing for an emergency meeting earlier to boot the pair of former ministers out of caucus as soon as possible.
But a handful of Liberals are still willing to accommodate the former ministers, both of them former stars in the cabinet whose open criticisms of Trudeau have coincided with noticeable declines in Liberal popularity.
害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e putting it behind us and my aim is that (Wilson-Raybould) and Jane are welcome and comfortable as part of our caucus,害羞草研究所� said Treasury Board president Joyce Murray.
While the secret tape has galvanized the Liberal caucus against Wilson-Raybould and Philpott, it has fortified opposition parties in their call for a thorough investigation of the entire SNC-Lavalin affair.
The recording proves Trudeau 害羞草研究所渘ot only had knowledge about the pressure being applied on the former attorney general but he and his office were, in fact orchestrating it,害羞草研究所� Conservative House leader Candice Bergen told the Commons, accusing Trudeau of providing 害羞草研究所渇alse and deceitful information害羞草研究所� to Canadians about the affair.
Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre, meanwhile, launched a one-man filibuster of the government害羞草研究所檚 budget until the Liberals agree to further investigation of the SNC-Lavalin affair.
害羞草研究所淚 have the ability to speak an unlimited period of time (on the budget) and I will be using that ability to demand the government end the coverup (and) agree to a parliamentary investigation into the SNC-Lavalin scandal,害羞草研究所� he told a news conference before heading into the Commons to begin an hours-long speech.
House of Commons rules say the finance minister and the Opposition害羞草研究所檚 finance critic can speak as long as they want about the budget, but only within the time allotted each day for government business. That means Poilievre害羞草研究所檚 plan won害羞草研究所檛 disrupt most other activities in the Commons and he has to speak for only a few hours at a time. Debate on the budget is also restricted to four sitting days.
The Ottawa-area MP said he wants senior members of Trudeau害羞草研究所檚 staff, as well as the prime minister himself, to testify before the justice committee about the pressure exerted on Wilson-Raybould.
害羞草研究所淲hen they agree to that, I害羞草研究所檒l stop speaking.害羞草研究所�
Wilson-Raybould has said she endured a months-long campaign of PMO pressure, including from Wernick and Butts, to arrange a so-called remediation agreement for SNC-Lavalin, which is facing criminal charges that it used bribery and fraud to get business in Libya. Conviction could include a 10-year ban on bidding on federal contracts in Canada.
She alleges that her refusal was the reason Trudeau shuffled her out of the prestigious justice portfolio and into Veterans Affairs in mid-January. She resigned from cabinet a month later.
Joan Bryden , The Canadian Press
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